Missing Tennessee couple found after eight days in Alaskan wilderness
A Tennessee couple who went missing while hiking in Alaska more than a week ago were found Friday safely — just two miles from their parked car, the family said.
Couple Jonas Bare, 50, and Cynthia Hovsepian, 37, were spotted by a hiker while hiking through the woods in Fairbanks, a city of more than 30,000 people.
The couple had survived eight days in the wild after getting lost on what was said to be a short hike on an established trail, Bare’s uncle, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Post.
The family member said he believes Bare and Hovsepian are dazed and confused by the state’s 20 hours of sunlight per day at this time of year, and temperatures that can drop to as low as 45 degrees during the four hours of twilight.
“They sure were lost and disoriented, otherwise they would have gotten out of there,” he said.
Bare’s daughter also confirmed that her father and Cynthia were found alive and were being treated at a hospital. It’s unclear what condition they are in and if they sustained any injuries.
A picture of Bare – covered in dirt and wearing an Alaskan T-shirt – was shared on Friday night to a Facebook page dedicated to the search for the missing couple.
He was standing next to his 71-year-old father, Billy, who Bare’s uncle said had stormed into the woods several times in recent days in search of his missing son.
Bare and Hovsepian were reported missing on Aug. 11 after failing to check out of their Airbnb rental, where they left all their luggage, Fairbanks police said.
The dark blue Jeep Compass the couple rented was also found abandoned at the popular Chena Hot Springs Resort near the trailhead.
“Here’s your clincher: two miles from the car,” Bare’s uncle told The Post.
“It shows you immediately how rough the country could be.”
How Bare and Hovsepian – who is visually impaired and occasionally relies on a walking stick – survived eight days in the uncharted wilderness is still a mystery.
Bare’s uncle described his nephew as an “able” man who traveled extensively around the world.
Bare, a Nashville businessman, last posted on Facebook about his trip to Alaska on Aug. 8. He previously said in another post that he would be traveling to his 50th state for his 50th birthday.
“I will not get lost like I did in Australia and the Katoomba Range ten years ago. If a Kodiak catches me, I will consider it an honorable death.” he wrote eerily in one of the August 8 posts.
The Post has reached out to the Fairbanks Police Department and Alaskan State Troopers for comment.
